MEMBERS of a hiking group who received online abuse after posting pictures of their Christmas Day walk on social media have since received an outpouring of "heart-warming" supportive comments.

Muslim Hikers, a group set up by Haroon Mota during lockdown to help tackle loneliness and isolation in the Muslim community, went on their third walk of the year, the Mam Tor mountain walk.

The group initially received a backlash of negative online comments after posting pictures, but there has now been a hugely positive response from people across the UK, encouraging the group to keep on walking.

The initial reaction branded the walkers ‘hooligans’ and labelled them ‘pathetic’ for going on the walk and the group were told to leave the Peak District for ‘proper walkers.’

Across social media platforms, people called out the ‘blatant racism’ and ‘outrageous’ comments that the group faced.

One person commented: “Keep walking. Ignore the ignorant and hurtful comments. It's a great idea. Enjoy.”

Another commented: "Well done on the walking, a fantastic way to exercise. Everyone should have access to the countryside and be treated equally.”

The comments kept flooding in with another saying: “Keep enjoying the countryside - great to see people out, that’s the @PeakdistrictNT is for.”

There were many messages of support for the group from Telegraph & Argus readers, with one commenter on the website saying: "So sad this still happening regardless of who you are or where your from should not matter. Racism needs to stop! Whether it is said in a direct or indirect manner!"

The group of 130 hikers came from across the UK including Sheffield, Birmingham, Bradford, and Batley.

When the T&A asked organiser, Mr Mota, about the support Muslim Hikers had received since the first article, he said: “Firstly, it is important that we call out the negative comments, but we need to celebrate the overwhelming support and solidarity we have had.

“There were a lot of heart-warming messages online and we really appreciate that.

“We’ve had people reach and want to offer financial support as we are a registered charity group.

“A lot of good has come from us posting those comments online and it just shows the solidarity and spirit of the outdoor community.

“Muslims Hikers is an inclusive group that is open for anyone and every; when we put on more events next year, we hope that more people will come out and join us.

“But I’m glad we got this positive response, and more people know about us.”

Read the story regarding the initial reaction here